Nicola Sturgeon has pulled out of a major climate change event today as her home continues to be searched by police after the arrest of her husband and lingering questions over whether she quit because she knew a storm was coming.
The former First Minister was due to appear at the Edinburgh Science Festival this evening but has cancelled hours after Peter Murrell was released without charge, pending further enquiries, after a day of questioning.
Police Scotland yesterday dramatically held Murrell, her spouse of 13 years, and raided the political power couple’s Glasgow home, which was searched along with the SNP‘s headquarters.
It is not known when Ms Sturgeon and her husband are staying today as officers continue an investigation into the party’s finances including the spending of £600,000 earmarked for Scottish independence campaigning. Mr Murrell is also facing questions about a personal loan of more than £100,000 that he gave to the party, which he said was to help it out with a ‘cashflow’ problem.
Witnesses said there was a fresh flurry of activity at the couple’s newbuild property this morning. The forensics tent outside is understood to house a van, where evidence is being placed inside away from public view.
As a team workers inside, three police vans are parked outside with two uniformed officers stationed outside. A large blue tent remains in place in the front garden of the property, which has been screened off with blue police screens. The house and garden remain cordoned off with police tape.
Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell, who was arrested yesterday, are not staying at home as their house is searched
A large police presence remains at Ms Sturgeon and Murrell’s home today
The large blue tent outside the home is said to contain a police van where any evidence is being placed inside
Teams of officers are working in the property. The house and garden remain cordoned off with police tape
Ms Sturgeon was due to appear at the Edinburgh Science Festival later today. But this was cancelled this morning.
A spokesman for the event said: ‘While Nicola Sturgeon MSP is no longer attending our Climate of Change event, we are thrilled to be welcoming MSP Màiri McAllan, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition who will join Ambassador Patricia Espinosa for this vital conversation.
‘The Edinburgh Science Festival has been proudly programming events such as these which highlight and inspire people of all ages and all backgrounds to action on our climate emergency for many years. We look forward to welcoming our audiences to this insightful and inspiring discussion.’
Ms Sturgeon last night faced questions over whether she quit as Scottish First Minister because she knew her husband was going to be arrested.
Police yesterday dramatically held Peter Murrell, her spouse of 13 years, and raided the power couple’s Glasgow home.
Mr Murrell, 58, was chief executive of the Scottish National Party until he resigned last month – just weeks after Ms Sturgeon, 52, stood down as SNP leader and First Minister.
After raiding the detached house yesterday morning and setting up a huge forensics tent in the front garden, officers were seen in the back garden in the afternoon. One policeman was carrying two spades.
Scouring the back garden, the officers opened a small shed and a large plastic storage chest, while a police photographer documented their efforts. Police also launched a search of the SNP’s Edinburgh headquarters. Officers removed large green boxes from the building and stacked them into vans.
Mr Murrell was released from police custody last night.
Ms Sturgeon has always insisted that the long-running police investigation involving her husband and £600,000 in allegedly ‘missing’ party funds had nothing to do with her resignation as First Minister.
But Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said the timing of the
police swoop raised questions about whether Ms Sturgeon and her successor, Humza Yousaf, knew what was coming.
He said: ‘Many questions were raised at the timing of Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement. Indeed, at the press conference when she stated she was standing down as First Minister, she walked off immediately following a question about this police inquiry. This significant latest development will raise more questions about the timing of Nicola Sturgeon’s decision to stand down.’
Officers were also seen taking photographs (pictured) on Wednesday beside the glass-walled sun room, which had its blinds tightly drawn, and carrying a spade and blue tarpaulin sheets as every inch was scoured for clues
The back garden was the focus of much of the police activity, and officers were seen taking evidence bags away. Pictured: Police searching at Peter Murrell’s house on Wednesday
The garage door was opened behind the blue police screen (pictured) and officers could be seen looking about inside and taking photographs on Wednesday
He added: ‘[New Scottish First Minister] Humza Yousaf and Nicola Sturgeon should state what they knew and when they knew it.’
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: ‘I think there are big questions to answer for the SNP, for Nicola Sturgeon and for Humza Yousaf about what they knew and when.
‘What is clear here is that this is a party that’s running out of road, talking to itself about itself and mired in scandal, division, arrogance and getting more and more out of control and out of touch.’
First Minister Humza Yousaf (pictured Wednesday) said the arrest marked a ‘difficult day’ for the party
Mr Murrell was arrested when police arrived at the couple’s home at 7.35am. Ms Sturgeon was seen leaving the property in a black Volvo shortly after 8am, before a convoy of police vans arrived.
A large police presence remained there throughout the day.
Detectives also searched the SNP’s Gordon Lamb House headquarters in Edinburgh and several other premises linked to the party.
Ms Sturgeon’s decision to quit in February took Holyrood and Westminster by surprise, with the SNP ahead in the polls at the time. Weeks earlier, she had said she had ‘plenty in the tank’.
But at a press conference announcing her resignation, her tone shifted. She said: ‘Part of serving well is to know when the time is right to make way for someone else, and when the time comes to have the courage to do so.’
She insisted a row over transgender rights, sparked by male double rapist Isla Bryson being moved into a Scottish women’s prison and plans to allow trans people to self-declare their new gender, was not the ‘final straw’ but that it was ‘time for someone else’ to lead the party.
A spokesman for Ms Sturgeon said last night: ‘Nicola Sturgeon had no prior knowledge of Police Scotland’s action or intentions. Ms Sturgeon will fully co-operate with Police Scotland if required, however at this time no such request has been made.’
The latest setback for Scotland’s ruling party could boost Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s chances of winning the keys to Downing Street.
Since the 2015 general election, when Labour lost 40 of its 41 MPs north of the border, the party has largely remained in the political wilderness in Scotland.
But a loss of confidence in the SNP among Scottish voters could boost the chances of a Labour comeback.
Sources claimed the couple had not been given advance warning of the investigators’ arrival on Wednesday. Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell are pictured together in 2019
Police Scotland and the Crown Office, Scotland’s equivalent of the Crown Prosecution Service, launched Operation Branchform in July 2021.
It was prompted by multiple complaints relating to £600,000 of SNP funds raised in donations from supporters since 2017 and ring-fenced for campaigning. It is alleged that the money may have gone ‘missing’ and been used improperly by being diverted elsewhere and spent on other things.
The loan was made a day after a party leadership meeting discussed the police investigation.
Mr Murrell resigned as SNP chief executive last month after taking responsibility for misleading the media about SNP membership figures – which the party had repeatedly said stood at around 100,000, but were actually around 72,000.
Yesterday’s arrest came just a week after Ms Sturgeon was replaced by Mr Yousaf following a bruising SNP leadership race which laid bare a deep divide between members and officials about the party’s future. Mr Yousaf admitted that it was a ‘difficult day’ for the party, adding: ‘I would just reiterate and emphasise that it’s so important for me not to comment on a live police investigation and be seen to prejudice that in any way, shape or form.’
An SNP spokesman said: ‘Clearly it would not be appropriate to comment on any live police investigation but the SNP have been co-operating fully with this investigation and will continue to do so.’
Police released Mr Murrell without charge at 6.57pm. A spokesman said a report will be sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, adding: ‘As the investigation is ongoing we are unable to comment further.’
